


sweettalk my heart

by gaygrilledcheese



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Emotional Study, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Post-Finale, Post-Season 5, catra being a cat lol, dealing with the aftermath, guilty catra, self-sacrificial Adora, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25138387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaygrilledcheese/pseuds/gaygrilledcheese
Summary: "Hey, maybe we could just, like, hug and cuddle and talk a bit for now. We’ve got some catching up and joking around to do.” Adora’s voice was hopeful, eager.“That sounds perfect, Adora.” She purred lowly into Adora’s shoulder out of pure contentment - she couldn’t hold it in.And Adora couldn’t stifle a chuckle. Catra knew Adora was getting a kick out of this. Even though her eyes were shut and her face was buried in the other girl’s shoulder, she could still see the smug grin and literal stars in Adora’s eyes.****The war was over, they were back at Bright Moon on a stay-at-home vacation, and Catra was finally getting the alone time with Adora she had been craving. Along with enjoying some teasing and canoodling, Catra and Adora address the messy, painful emotions that have haunted them over the course of the war. Or, initial fluff that flows into a darker emotional study of Catradora as they navigate their relationship immediately post-finale.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 207





	sweettalk my heart

“You know there’s enough spares in this castle to give you your own room, right Catra? You don’t have to move in with Adora.” Glimmer was grinning with a devious glint in her eye.

“Oh, that’s okay. I usually sleep over with Adora anyway.” Catra’s gaze shifted to the girl in question and she suddenly panicked. “Uh, I mean, as long as you’re okay with that, that is, Adora. I didn’t mean to assume-"

  
Adora giggled and put a hand on Catra’s shoulder. Her gaze was as warm as ever. “Of course we can share a room. We’ve kind of been sharing one ever since we were in the Horde, and you’re my best friend.” She turned towards the other princess. “Glimmer, please quit teasing her. That’s my job.”

  
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist! She’s all yours now, especially since you’ll be sharing a room! You’ll have plenty of time for _other stuff_ with each other now!” Glimmer chortled, and teleported off before Catra could strangle her.

  
Adora’s blush matched Catra’s now. “Sorry about that. Nevermind her. Come on, I’ll show you to... our room.”

  
A skittish, fluttery feeling formed in Catra’s stomach when the implications of sharing a room with Adora seeped into her mind. But she tried to shake off those thoughts and the nervousness that came with them.

  
Catra followed Adora down the ritzy corridor of Bright Moon castle. The idea of living on princess property made her uneasy and somewhat nauseous - or maybe that was just the glittery purple décor - but it didn’t matter as long as she was with Adora. Adora had assured her they could spend all the time Catra wanted together on their stay-at-home-and-rest vacation. She was going to enjoy this. At home at last, with Adora, just like her girl had promised her.

  
“Well, here we are,” Adora smiled nervously, gesturing to the ornate grey double-door they had stopped at after a small trek. “Welcome home.”

  
“Thank you.” Catra’s smile matched Adora’s, her ears twitching.

  
Adora nodded and opened the door, leading them in.

  
“Well, thank Glimmer. She’s the queen letting us freeload here.”

  
“I’d rather be boiled alive than thank old Sparkles for anything.” Catra’s smirk was the only thing that belied her deadpan tone.

  
Adora laughed. “And here I thought you guys were getting along now. Anyway, what’s mine is yours,” she said, sweeping her hand across the expanse of the room.

  
Catra took a moment to scope it out. It was overwhelmingly pink, for her tastes. In typical princess fashion. It was a big room, with lots of cushions. Hopefully her claws wouldn’t decimate everything too soon. There was... a waterfall? Did Adora shower in there? Um... Adora showering right in the open while Catra was there? Oh boy...

  
“Sorry, I know it’s not really your style. It’s not mine either. We can see about redecorating it, if you like. I don’t care, as long as you’ll stay here with me.” There was a note of anxiety in Adora’s voice. She hadn’t forgotten about when Catra had taken off by herself in the night, leaving her behind.

  
Catra turned her eyes to the other girl, and it dawned on her that Adora had been watching her the whole time she had been gawking. She tried to pretend that she hadn’t just unwillingly pictured her naked.

  
“Adora, it’s fine. I don’t care where we live, as long as I’m with you. Of course I’m staying.” She tried to reassure her with a smile. “Maybe I’ll take you up on your redecoration offer though. All this pink is giving me a headache. Either way, it’s a lot nicer than our little old Horde quarters, huh?”

  
“You got that right. Come on, let’s sit down and relax. We have got a lot of relaxing to do, after that whole, you know, war.”

  
She grabbed Catra’s hand and led them to the bed. They sat down together, finally able to wholly enjoy each other’s company in peace and quiet and safety, but somehow Catra’s mind was preoccupied with dumb things. She hoped Adora couldn’t feel her hand sweating. Probably wouldn’t be too pleasant to be caressing some stinky soaked furball. Still, she tried to goad Adora like usual.

  
“You, relax? ‘Adora’ and ‘relax’ don’t belong in the same sentence unless ‘can’t’ is between them.”

  
“Ha-ha, very funny. I just want you to be comfortable. We can talk, and do whatever you want. I want to spend time with you. I’ve missed you.” Adora was smiling gently, and nudged Catra’s foot with hers.

  
Catra looked bashful, and her hand rubbed the back of her neck. “Aw, thank you. I am comfortable. And I missed you too, more than you can imagine. I’m... looking forward to hanging out, you know, just us, like old times.”

  
“Me too. Are you sure you’re comfortable? You seem a little... nervous.”

  
“What? Maybe I am. If you were shut away in a new room with the girl you loved all your life, maybe you would be a little nervous too.” She glanced away, almost hissing at her own show of vulnerability.

  
“Awwwww, I love it when you get so shy! It’s more endearing than you realize.”

When Catra mustered enough courage to look back at the said love of her life, there were practically hearts in Adora’s eyes. Her hands were clasped and she was smiling a stupidly radiant smile. But suddenly one of Adora’s hands moved to rest on Catra’s leg, and the other cupped her chin, tilting it up so their eyes met.

  
“Let me relax you, then.” Adora’s voice was gentle, yet brimming with her newfound romantic daring and playfulness.

  
Adora kissed her, readjusting both of her hands to cup her face. Catra pulled her closer with both hands around Adora’s waist. She would have laughed obnoxiously at the various ironies of the situation if she wasn’t busy getting smooched by the literal girl of her dreams.

  
And the ironies were endless: Adora, of all people, telling her to relax. Catra, making out with the girl she thought hated her guts until little more than a month ago (when Adora willfully saved Catra’s life and still had to verbally tell her that she didn’t hate her), in the very palace she had tried to conquer for the Horde to defeat said girl. Adora, who had been totally oblivious to Catra’s burning love for her since birth, shamelessly making the moves on her, and being damned good at it. Finally being in the same bed as Adora once again, yet she’s under the roof of a princess she had been programmed to hate all her life. Everything was totally different, and yet better than she could have ever imagined. God, this was weird. But amazing. And somehow this was the only thing she ever really wanted, even if she had tried to blind herself to this fact for quite some time.

  
Catra smiled into the kiss, and then deepened it. She then shifted her weight onto Adora and pushed her down until she was on top of her, her knees on either side of Adora’s, and pulled their bodies closer together, all without breaking the kiss. She _really_ enjoyed the pleased groan Adora made in response to her efforts. She kissed her harder.

  
A few more moments of this, and then Adora pulled back for air, releasing Catra and propping herself up on her elbows.

  
“Not so nervous anymore, are you?” she wheezed out. Her face was flushed and she was delightfully breathless. It was her turn to grin sheepishly at Catra.

  
It all made Catra want her even more. Catra’s teeth showed mischievously. She held Adora’s gaze.

  
“Maybe not. I’m right where I’ve always wanted to be.”

  
Adora caught her breath quickly.

  
“Oh yeah? Come here, you.”

  
You don’t have to tell me twice, Catra thought as she practically pounced onto Adora, kissing her hungrily.

  
Every little thing Adora did only made her feelings for her stronger, and her desires, too. She felt like her heart was going to explode out of sheer love for the girl who, not so long ago, ripped the very same heart out when she chose the world over Catra for the first time. It was intense. On top of that, said plainly, uh, Adora was making her really hot right now. The combination of the two was torturing her in the best way.

  
You could say she was really happy. This was a tension she could deal with. Judging by the little sounds Adora was making, she was doing it quite well.

  
Adora snuck her hands under Catra’s shirt, catching the other girl by pleasant surprise. It was something small, but they had never gone so far, still being so new to this. The simple sensation of Adora’s fingers on her bare skin - er, covered only by her short fur, that is - somehow elicited a reaction out of her.

  
For some damn reason, Catra was unable to stifle a groan, sounding husky enough to be embarrassing.

  
She was, after all, part feline—she loved to be touched, as much as she hated admitting it. And by Adora... it was almost too much.

  
Catra pushed Adora all the way down so that her shoulders touched the mattress and Catra was completely on top of her. She kissed her, harder, harder, increasing in fervor as Adora’s hands rubbed up and down, then wandered closer and closer to the bottom band of her sports bra.

  
But Adora’s hands stopped there. She tapped her fingers on Catra’s sides to get her attention and pulled back with raised eyebrows, the question in her eyes.

  
“Is this okay?” she asked. “Can I... touch you there? We haven’t done this before.”

  
Of course Adora was too much of a gentleman to just go for it. She felt another surge of affection for the girl. Catra smiled softly, her ears and tail twitching, despite the frenzied hunger she was also feeling. Her breath was coming out ragged, but she tried to regain control of herself. She leaned back on her knees, and breathed deeply.

  
Catra would go all the way right now if Adora wanted to. Her body felt ready enough, as the built-up desire from so many years had snaked around, burning in her stomach.

  
But... she knew she shouldn’t. Restraint was important right now. Adora was everything to her, and she wanted to do this right. There was no reason to rush anything. They had all the time in the world, all the time to understand each other better and reconnect with each other and to explore each other at their own pace. All the time in the world for fun and pleasure like this. She didn’t want to rush this love; she was happy savoring each small step with Adora. And despite the fervent desire coursing through her body, she knew that’s what she should do.

  
Catra laid her hands gingerly on Adora’s shoulders, holding her eyes.

  
“You can... but... not right now, please. We should actually take this slow.” She averted her eyes and tried to formulate her words. “Believe me, I love this and I want to go further, but I would rather go slow and enjoy every little moment with you. So... can we actually just stop here and do that a different time, please?”

  
When Catra dared to glance back at Adora, the girl was once again shooting her a smile that could outshine the sun.

  
“Of course that’s okay. Aw, come here, Catra, I just want to hug you. You’re so sweet and you don’t even know it. I love you, dude.”

Catra couldn’t stop the red heat from rushing to her face.

“Okay, okay, I love you too, you dork.” She smiled shyly.

  
Adora sat up and shifted to sit cross-legged. She held her arms open to invite Catra into a hug with her winningest grin.

  
Catra climbed into her lap and wrapped her arms around Adora’s shoulders. Adora positioned her own arms above Catra’s waist.

  
Catra calmed down immediately, taking in the comforting smell and feel of Adora as she nestled into her and breathed deep.

  
Adora rubbed her back gently, her thumbs doing the little stroking thing.

  
“Hey, maybe we could just, like, hug and cuddle and talk a bit for now. We’ve got some catching up and joking around to do.” Adora’s voice was hopeful, eager.

  
“That sounds perfect, Adora.” She purred lowly into Adora’s shoulder out of pure contentedness - she couldn’t hold it in.

  
And Adora couldn’t stifle a chuckle. Catra knew Adora was getting a kick out of this. Even though her eyes were shut and her face was buried in the other girl’s shoulder, she could still see the smug grin and literal stars in Adora’s eyes.

  
“Here, kitty, kitty. Who’s a good girl? There, there, kitty, kitty. That’s my kitten.”

  
It was an awful good thing her head was tucked away, because if Adora had seen her face blushing as ferociously as it was, it only would have provided infinite fuel for her cruel teasing flames. She hated that she loved Adora’s attention so much. And calling Catra her kitten... why did that do such a thing to her?

  
“Don’t mock me!” she cried, voice muffled by Adora’s buff body.

  
“Aw, you’re cute when you’re embarrassed. I’m not mocking you. I love you how you are, Catra, with all your adorable little kitty quirks. Like the mouse thing.”

  
“Ugh, that was one time!”

*******************

After more bantering and cuddling, they had fallen into a comfortable silence for a while. Catra was not complaining—just being near Adora was all she needed, and the silence let her mind rest. Kind of.

  
She was sitting in Adora’s lap still, with Catra’s legs poking out to the side, like how she had plopped herself down on Adora on that spaceship, she remembered fondly. Who knew the girl who saved the entire universe with her She-Ra powers would make for such a comfy seat? Her tail wiggled into Adora’s face, but the girl was unfazed.

  
During this spell of silence, Catra had alternated between resting her own eyes and observing Adora keenly. And she could tell that the girl was thinking about something that made her nervous. Every time Catra caught her eye, Adora looked kind of sheepish, like she was still working up the courage to say something. Catra figured she should just stay quiet and let Adora come out with it when she was ready. So she shut her eyes and rested her head on Adora’s shoulder, waiting contently.

  
Maybe five minutes later, Adora opened her mouth.

  
“Um.... You’re girl- I mean, you’re a girl- er, we’re girl-.... we’re girls.”

  
“Yes, Adora, I think we’re both girls, unless you’ve got something you want to tell me,” Catra drawled with a quirked eyebrow before giving in to giggles. Adora had spent the last thirty minutes thinking of what to say, and that scatterbrained stammering was the masterpiece she had come up with? It was adorable. Hah, Adora-ble.

  
“Ha-ha. No, listen- I mean, we’re, um... you’re my girlfriend, right? Like, we’re together?”

  
Catra laughed, maybe to distract from the little blush that was rising on her cheeks.

  
“You’re such an idiot. Of course, dummy.”

  
“Yeah, I know, I know. I was just checking. Okay, good.” Adora smiled and let out a puff of air. “I mean not good that I’m an idiot, but good that we’re-"

  
Catra pounced, and suddenly she was kissing Adora. Her girlfriend. “Oh, shut it,” she grinned into the kiss.

  
Adora broke away after a moment. “Hey, I thought you said you had enough of that for now. Not that I’m complaining. But we’re supposed to be just cuddling, remember?”

  
Catra rolled her eyes fondly and flopped back down to her girlfriend’s side, her tail purposely slinking in Adora’s face. She flung an arm over Adora’s lean stomach.

  
“Right, I got distracted. You’re very distracting, you know.”

  
Adora’s warmth pulled her in like a magnet. Cuddling Adora, she found, was one of the seven wonders of Etheria, along with hugging, kissing, and teasing her, and maybe some other things she hadn’t discovered yet. The soft rumble of her purr, the rise and fall of Adora’s chest with her every breath, the steady thrum of Adora’s heartbeat, were the only things Catra could hear in another comfortable silence that settled over them.

But maybe it was a mistake to let Adora ponder over her thoughts, as the next time she gave voice to them, Catra was humiliated:

  
"So, let me ask you. Should I be calling you pet names like sweetie and stuff now? Or honey? Would you like that? Or darling? Or maybe baby? Baby girl? Babe? Or how about kitten, or kitty, since you’re you know, a cat. Oh I know, how about boo-bear! But maybe that wouldn’t make sense, because you’re a cat, as we just established-"

  
“ _Pleaseeeee_ don’t call me that.” Catra groaned and put her hands on her face to hide her surprisingly intense blush.

  
Adora laughed and pried her hands away.

  
“Call you what? Sweetie? Darling? Honey? Baby girl? Kitty? Kitten? Or boo-bear?”

  
“Boo-bear! God, I can’t believe you made me say it! Why must you torture me? I... liked all that other stuff, though.” Catra’s smile was soft and abashed to complement her intense blush. Her ears drooped a little, adorably.

  
“Aw, I’m glad you liked it, boo-bear.”

  
“Hey! What did I just say! And what kind of name is that, anyway? It doesn’t even make sense or fit me. I’m part cat, not bear.”

  
“Sure it does! You’re cute and adorable and cuddly and soft and warm, just like a teddy-bear!” Adora teased, and she tackled Catra onto the bed, wrapping her in a big cuddly hug just to prove her point. The blonde girl giggled loudly.

  
“Hey! Am not! How dare you call me cuddly and cute and all those other nasty words!” Somehow Catra was blushing even harder. She grinned and flipped Adora over so that she was on top, straddling her and pinning her wrists down on the bed.

  
Adora grinned right back and took the joke further: “And you can be big, bad and mean, and strong and tough, just like a real bear! Isn’t that right, boo-bear?”

  
“I guess that’s a more acceptable compliment than whatever nonsense you were spewing before. But I forgive you. Baby girl,” she said with a grin, her voice dipping low at her last few words. Catra reveled in the red that tinted Adora’s features upon hearing her own little pet name.

  
“Aw, look who’s Adora-ble now!” Catra laughed, and she leaned down to kiss her.

  
“Hey! Stop cheating!” Adora protested despite her little blush. She squirmed in Catra’s grasp. “You said no more kissing right now!”

  
“Well, it’s fun! You know I never play by the rules!”

  
“Fine, then, if you won’t play nice-“ Adora wrenched her arms out from Catra’s hold and her hands made a wild lunge for Catra’s middle. She was attacking her belly with tickles! “-then I won’t, either!” she shrieked in between waves of laughter.

  
Catra buckled over, arms crossed over her stomach in attempt to protect herself from Adora’s merciless tickles, as she shook with laughter. “Hey! Hey! No fair!”

  
“How do you like a taste of your own medicine!” Adora rolled them both over so she claimed Catra’s previous position, pinning the girl down with her tickling hands.

  
Catra wriggled around helplessly, her ribs hurting from the laughter and maybe also the rough tickling. “Sto-p, Adora!” she whined.

  
Adora was overcome by a giggling fit and even snorted. Several times. Why was Adora such a cutie when she keeled over with laughter and snorts?

  
“Alright, alright,” Adora said, wiping tears from her eyes as her laughter died down to only a few stray chuckles and snorts. When she looked back at Catra, her girlfriend was returning her gaze and smiling bashfully.

  
“Cute snort, dork."

  
Adora grinned.

  
“Unlike you, I have nothing against being cute.” Then, Adora got a mischievous glint in her eyes, signifying an equally mischievous idea. Uh-oh.

  
“Uh... why are you looking at me like that?”

  
“Like what?”

  
“Like that.”

  
“I don’t know what you mean. Anyway, I have an idea. Close your eyes.”

  
“This is bad. Your ideas are always bad. You’re just gonna tickle me again, no way.”

  
“No, I won’t! I really won’t. It’s nothing bad. Just humor me.”

  
“Urrrrrrgh. Fine. My eyes are closed.” She squeezed them shut, preparing herself for the worst.

  
“No peeking!”

  
“I’m not! Just get this over with!”

  
Looking down at her girlfriend, Adora gingerly folded back Catra’s shirt to reveal the tan fur on her stomach. She put her hand on her belly, and savored Catra’s little intake of breath. Then, she scratched her gently, using her nails to touch Catra’s skin beneath the soft coat of fur.

  
An embarrassing purr escaped Catra. Without willing herself to, she stretched out, leaning towards Adora’s touch.

  
Adora smirked at Catra’s feline outburst. She then kneaded her flesh with the pads of her fingers, using both hands now.

  
Catra practically mewled - dammit. It was ridiculous how much she liked this.

  
Adora was emboldened. She stopped and got up from Catra. “Can you roll over for me, kitten?”

  
“‘Roll over’ is a dog thing, not a cat thing, stupid,” Catra grumbled, as she proceeded to roll over begrudgingly.

  
Adora couldn’t help but laugh. She put one knee on either side of Catra’s waist and leaned back, basically sitting on her butt.

  
Catra buried her face into the mattress.

  
“You’re humiliating me, Adora,” she said in a muffled deadpan.

  
“No, you love it,” Adora muttered while leaning into Catra’s ear.

  
Adora felt Catra’s tail coil around her torso, and she snickered. She sat back up and massaged Catra’s bare back, pressing gentle circles into both sides of her spine.

  
It was unfortunate that a position so detrimental to Catra’s pride and dignity was actually quite pleasurable and soothing to her body. A flurry of thoughts pertaining to Adora being good with her hands came unbidden to her mind. A current of warmth snaked in her stomach. She tried her best to ignore it, remembering her own resolution to tread slowly into their relationship.

  
Adora just kept kneading her back, apparently oblivious to Catra’s struggle with her own arousal, as usual.

  
Catra became more aware of the feel of Adora’s weight and warmth on her. Her girlfriend’s hands dragged along her fur again, evoking another embarrassing purr she had been fighting to bury.

  
“Adoraaaaaa, you’re embarrassing me.”

  
“Why are you embarrassed? You’re being so cute right now.”

  
“Call me cute one more time and-"

  
“You’re cute.”

  
“-And I’ll kiss you again.” Probably not the wisest decision where her libido was concerned, but to hell with it.

  
“Okay, cutie. But you’re breaking your own rules again.”

  
Adora laughed and got off of Catra. She sat crosslegged on the mattress, hands resting on her own knees. She was grinning stupidly at Catra, her eyes gleaming in expectation.

  
“What are rules made for, but to be broken?” Catra mused in a murmur as she repositioned herself, moving to close the distance between her and Adora. Her tail flicked in excitement. She sat down in her favorite place - Adora’s lap - and took her girlfriend’s face in her hands and kissed her.

  
She kept it gentle, fond, relatively tame, though. She could keep her desire in check, mostly. She would not let her embarrassingly raging hormones screw anything up with Adora. She could relish every moment, every touch, every step, without rushing the romance.

  
When she pulled back, there was Adora’s stupidly gorgeous face, looking even more gorgeous with that look of absolute... adoration. Her eyes were bright with rapture, there was some color in her cheeks, her smile was broad and eager. She was perfect. This was perfect.

  
Catra was afraid to breathe, for that might break the spell.

  
She was still stunned when Adora suddenly leaned in, her warm breath tickling her face, and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. It felt strangely intimate, and the tender expression on Adora’s face when she pulled back again made Catra’s insides turn to mush.

  
“Wh- what was that for?” she stuttered, when she managed to formulate semi-coherent thoughts.

  
“You. You make me happy.”

  
Catra felt her heart swell up a hundred sizes in a second. Her affection translated onto her face in the form of a toothy smile.

  
She raised her hands and delicately, tentatively moved them to cup Adora’s face, still in awe of the fact she was allowed to do this - to touch her like this now. She slowly swiped her thumbs up and down to stroke Adora’s cheeks. She leaned in and pressed their foreheads together, gently, all while locking eyes with Adora.

  
“You... make me happy, too. I love you, Adora.”

  
Damn, this was really happening. She could say it over and over and over again now, as much as she wanted. She had been holding back those three words - _I love you_ \- for so long, and every time she said them now, it was euphoric.

  
Adora let out a startled, quaking breath. Her brows furrowed, her eyes misting over with affection, and something else, something that looked like it was hurting her.

  
“I love you too, Catra.” Her voice trembled. Suddenly the tears had pooled up in her eyes and were trickling slowly down her face.

  
Catra used her thumbs to wipe them away as they fell. Her brows knit in concern.

  
“Adora, what is it? What’s wrong?” Worry creeped into her voice. She searched Adora’s eyes intently for answers.

  
Adora put her hands over Catra’s, where they still cupped her face.

  
“Nothing, nothing’s wrong now,” she breathed out.

  
“Are you sure, Adora? You... can tell me anything.”

  
Adora pulled back slightly, so that their foreheads were no longer touching. She shut her eyes, inhaled deeply and slowly, before letting out a quivering breath.

  
“I’m fine, Catra. It’s just that... when I was looking for the Heart, the Arxia ruins started projecting my memories... and what I wanted most for the future, I guess. I saw memories of you, and then you walked up to me and held me like you are now, and then you faded away, right when I tried to touch you back. It stung. And then later in the Heart with you, I saw a vision of us in the future and I wanted it so badly but Prime—" Adora’s voice broke under the strain of her emotions, and she choked out a sob. The last dregs of that agony still lingered in her mind: having to throw away everything she wanted for the sake of the world without complaint, to let go of her best friend and - as she realized too late - the love of her life in order to protect Etheria, and watching in pain as what-could-have-been dangled in front of her and then vanished into thin air as the world spiraled into demise and she found that she had failed them both - Catra and Etheria.

  
The sound of Adora’s sobbing, the tears streaming down her cheeks, and the look of the pain written on her face triggered a protective instinct in Catra. She pulled her into a hug swiftly. She felt Adora lean her head down into her shoulder and clutch at her with desperation. She stayed as steady as a rock for her.

  
“Adora, it’s okay now. Everything is okay. Prime is gone. He’s dead as dirt. That bastard can’t do anything to us anymore. And we have each other now; we have our future, right?”

  
Adora’s hug tightened for a moment in affirmation. She held onto Catra, her head tucked into the catgirl as she waited for her own tears to stop falling. After a while, she had recovered. Her breathing was normal and the tears had ceased.

  
“You’re right,” she said finally, leaning away enough to look at Catra, bleary-eyed. “You’re right. I know that, I do. I didn’t mean to freak out, it’s just... the way you held me, it reminded me of when I didn’t have you. I’m just so glad you’re here now. I always wanted you to come back.”

  
Catra felt her heart stutter for a moment. Her throat started to constrict. The guilt began brewing in her like bile.

  
She had left Adora when she needed her most. She’d gone off sulking and suppressing her feelings as usual while Adora was risking her neck for the well-being of the universe - also as usual.

  
“I- I’m sorry,” she managed, before her hands started to tremble on Adora’s shoulders, and so she removed them and crossed them over her own chest. Her eyes flitted away.

  
She could feel Adora’s gaze on her, undoubtedly as warm and caring as always, even with tears still drying on her lashes. But the choking feeling persisted.

  
Memories of everything that had transpired the last three years started barbing their way painfully into her mind. Flashes of every wrong thing she had ever done played on a highlight reel in her head and she watched the film of her own mistakes.

  
She heard Adora’s voice, but it felt like she was speaking to her from underwater. She felt Adora’s arms wrap around her again and pull her into a hug.

  
“Catra? Are you okay? Do you need to talk? I need you to understand that I’m always here for you. You’re there for me, and I’m here for you. Like, emotionally, too. So much has happened, and if you want to talk about any of it, I’ve got you, I’m all ears.”

  
Despite the weight of the guilt closing around her throat, Catra let her words sink in. So much really had happened - that was an understatement, a simplification. The last three years had been the longest of her life.

  
Catra didn’t say anything for a few moments. All the messy emotions she had been ruthlessly shoving down in the back of her mind since the very beginning of this catastrophe started burbling beneath the surface.

  
The Horde had ingrained in her that her friendship and fondness for Adora was a weakness, a flaw that would be her downfall. Because of this, she had once even believed that Adora had exploited her and purposely kept her dependent on her. Or so she told herself when her best friend abandoned her for better opportunities. Once Adora left, she had tried to suppress what she felt for her and remove her influence from her heart and mind. Caring about anyone only ever got her into trouble in a game that she could never win.

  
But she knew better than that now. They were kids in a twisted environment, being forcefully moulded into brainwashed war machines at the disposal of their glorious leader. It was the Horde that manipulated and used her, not Adora. No matter how high she climbed up the chain of command, no matter her performance in her position, no matter how hard she tried to prove herself, she was only an expendable puppet carrying out the will of whoever was on top.

And even when she was running the show, she didn’t even know what she was fighting for anymore. She had wanted to show how strong she was, how worthy, how much better she was than Adora. But she was stuck in a ceaseless rush for power, unable to look back at the burning bridges she left behind. Her satisfaction was ephemeral, and she was left only with more wounds, the remains of her sickly conscience torturing her with nightmares and stomachaches for everyone she hurt.

  
She had the world in the palm of her hand and yet she still felt empty. She had the power she had hungered for since she was a child, and yet the fulfillment had turned to ashes in her mouth. There had been a glaring hole in her soul that she could no longer ignore, a paradox that was eating away at her.

  
She had all the power in the world, yet she didn’t have the one person she had always wanted to share it with. Here she was, at the helm of hell, feeling emptier than ever, digging herself into a deeper pit every day that she sought destruction instead of love. She didn’t have a single person who actually cared about her. She drove them all away. She had continually hurt the only person she wanted to care about her - Adora.

  
Only Adora had ever truly seen her and liked her for who she was, had ever genuinely cared about her from the very beginning. In the Horde, when they were children in a military hellhole, Adora had offered her true friendship, warmth, a promise, and love in a place where all of those things were as rare as water in the desert. Adora was her world, and she dreamed of growing up and rising to the helm at Adora’s side, with no Shadow Weaver or Hordak or any old goon to boss them and toss them around, to scare them and cow them into obedience. No rules, no superiors, only her and Adora against the world.

It had taken her far too long to realize that the more significant part of her lifelong dreams was the desire to be with Adora always. That was what she had always wanted, and had violently suppressed since Adora left. And by continually spurning Adora’s pleas to join her in the Rebellion, in favor of chasing success and power in the Horde, Catra was starving her soul of the love she had always desired. She was rotting herself to the core, that heart so shrunken and brittle from the festering rage in her bones and the strangling weight of her sins.

  
And here Adora was, offering the sanctity of unconditional emotional support and sincere care that she had been desperately needing all this time away from her. Without love, she had been bitter and lost. No amount of success with the Horde could fill the void that Adora left behind.

  
But here she was now, exactly where she needed to be, exactly where she should have been this whole time... she was so stupid to have pushed further and further away from Adora in a blind rage for so long, doing so many bad things to so many people instead of confronting her mistakes and desires honestly. But here she was, after three long years, finally...

  
Catra’s hug suddenly got tighter and Adora felt wetness where Catra was burying herself into her shoulder.

  
Hot tears were flowing down Catra’s face.

  
“Adora, I’ve missed you so much. I was going crazy. It felt like everyone left me and I screwed everything up and I just kept losing. I fucking tried to conquer the world, but I was too dumb to see it wasn’t what I wanted. When I was on Horde Prime’s ship, I really felt like there was no one left in the universe who cared about me. Everything was taken from me. You were taken from me, and you’re... you’re... everything to me.

  
“And it hurt that it felt like I was nothing to you. With your new friends and your new life, and everything, I really believed that for so long, that you left me behind and didn’t care anymore, that you replaced me and moved on. I wanted to hurt the new people you cared about because I was not one of them. I was obsessed with proving myself to you, proving that I didn’t need you, that I was strong enough to be on my own and win.

  
“But I did need you, this whole time. I’m sorry for how stupid and terrible I was. All those awful things I did, I’m so sorry... I missed you so much, that whole time, and I could barely even admit it to myself...”

  
Adora’s heart ached at the sight and sound of her best friend’s agony. Her own eyes misted up. She held Catra even tighter, and stroked her back gently with one hand. She wanted more than anything in the world right now to comfort her, to ease this pain that seemed to follow Catra her whole life, to be there for her friend.

"Catra? I’m here now. I will never leave you again. I’m sorry that it ever had to be that way. I never wanted to hurt you. You’ve always been my best friend and I love you. I love you more than anyone else in the world. I’m so glad you’re here now- I missed you so much too. I’m sorry that it felt like I abandoned you and that I wasn’t there when you needed me most, when you were going through all this stuff.

  
“And Catra, everything is okay now. Please don’t beat yourself up over the past. We both made mistakes but we can’t dwell on it. We’re here now, safe and sound, and we wouldn’t be here without you, Catra. You beat yourself up for the bad things you did but you forget that you saved us, multiple times, Catra. You let me go when I was coming back to the Fright Zone for Glimmer and you saved Glimmer in Horde Prime’s ship, and you saved us from his blockade. And you saved the universe. You... woke up She-Ra multiple times. You were there for me when the world was falling apart and the heart of Etheria was crumbling and the universe was minutes from annihilation by Prime. You were willing to die for me, just to be there with me at the heart.

  
“That was all you, Catra. You’re an amazing person with a big heart and your actions show it. Everyone deserves a second chance, deserves redemption and forgiveness and love. And you got it. You more than redeemed yourself, as far as I’m concerned, and you shouldn’t torture yourself about the past. We have a beautiful future because of you. Think about that.

  
"And I never replaced you, Catra. I never stopped thinking of you or caring about you or missing how we used to be. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t before, but- now I will always stay. Okay? I will say it as many times as you need me to: I’m not leaving you ever again, Catra.”

  
Catra trembled in her arms. Her breaths were ragged as she grimaced through her tears. But she clung on to Adora like flesh to the bone. Her head sank lower and burrowed into Adora’s chest. The ugly gritty emotions that had festered in her since Adora first left were being purged - messily, painfully, like up-shoots of vomit searing her throat - in the catharsis of her tears. The sobs wracked her whole body and she practically howled into Adora’s shirt.

  
There was nothing Adora could do but hold her. Catra’s claws were digging into her but the sensation barely registered; she was much more troubled by the emotional torment brutalizing her best friend. So she held her tightly and rubbed her back, trying to be her rock in this stormy hour. She inwardly cursed herself for not being able to do more to help Catra, to end this pain.

  
Adora held her like that for a while longer, then gently separated them enough so that she could look into Catra’s eyes. She knew that Catra hated feeling vulnerable, and even worse, hated having her vulnerabilities seen, but Adora had to get Catra’s attention.

  
“I’m staying, Catra. Always. I always wanted you to stay, too. I’m sorry for all the pain you’ve gone through and that I’ve caused you. I love you, and I would do anything for you.”

  
The tears still stained Catra’s face, but the howls and sobs had subsided. Her voice was scratchy. “I love you too. And I’m always staying, too. Thank you, Adora. For everything.”

  
Adora’s gaze was intent. She cupped Catra’s face with a hand, the other still clutching her shoulder. She stroked her cheek gently, wiping away the tears still spilling down her face.

  
The soft intimacy of the gesture made Catra smile abashedly, and she put her hand on Adora’s.

  
“And um, sorry about, uh, all that... that whole outburst, I just needed to get that out.”

  
“You don’t need to apologize for anything. I’m here for you. I want to make you feel better. I’ll always listen to you. That’s what friends are for... and, well, girlfriends. Was there anything else you wanted to get out? Or would you rather not talk more about it right now?”

  
Catra hiccuped, considered this, ran her fingers down the hand that still cupped her face.

  
“No, I’m okay. Um... can we still hug for a little while longer, though?”

  
Adora smiled. “Of course, dummy. We can hug for as long as you want.” She pulled her back into a warm embrace.

  
Catra held onto her for a minute, then picked gingerly at the soaked area of Adora’s red jacket with a paw.

  
“Oh... uh, sorry about your shirt.”

  
“That’s okay, don’t worry about it. I don’t need it right now anyway.” Adora smiled and stripped it off, left only with her Horde undershirt as a top.

  
“Wow, how fitting. You always rocked that, though.” Catra eyed the shirt and chuckled despite her raw throat and stinging eyes. Adora really did look good in it.

  
“Thanks,” Adora said with a sheepish shrug. “None of Glimmer’s princess garb or any other clothes found in this castle really suit me, and I kind of liked the familiarity of the uniform, so I never got around to changing it, you may be surprised to hear.”

  
“Not at all, Princess,” Catra teased, punching Adora’s shoulder lightly. “Hey, uh, we’ve had a long day, don’t you think?”

  
“That’s a bit of an understatement.”

  
“Ha, yeah. I’m tired. Can we... go to sleep?” Catra looked demure, and there was another question in her eyes. Her ears twitched.

  
Adora looked at her and beamed. “Of course. Aw, did you want to cuddle, kitten? Do you want to be the big spoon or the little spoon?”

  
Catra reddened. “Hey! Uh... little spoon this time, please.”

  
“You got it, captain.” Adora lost none of her enthusiasm as they laid down on her bed, and she positioned herself on her side, behind Catra, flinging an arm over her and nestling in close. She breathed in deeply, and was able to relax, with Catra tucked into her. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep with her girlfriend.

************************

  
Adora opens her eyes. She had shifted in her sleep. She was laying on her back, while Catra laid on her side facing her. Their legs overlapped, and her girlfriend’s hand rested on Adora’s stomach, with her own hand clasped on top of it. Morning sun peeked through the curtains, filling the room with gentle light.

  
She remembered last night. It was good to talk to Catra, to have her back. They finally got the quality alone time together they'd been itching for ever since Adora rescued her from Prime. She felt like she was home again, her best friend cozied up in her bed like old times, inseparable. A sleepover, just like before. Only now... it was better. They were in love and they knew it, and they were safe.

  
She looks over at Catra’s face, and she sees her girlfriend gazing back sleepily.

  
“Hey, Adora,” she drawls softly. Her eyes are full of fondness and her smile is almost sheepish.

  
Adora cracks a smile at Catra’s signature greeting.

  
“Hi, Catra.” She rubs her thumb back and forth across Catra’s hand. “Did you sleep okay?”

  
“Like a baby. Better than I have in so long.”

  
“Me too.”

  
Without warning, and without averting her gaze from her girlfriend’s eyes, Adora reached over with her other hand and gently scratched Catra under the ear.

  
She was rewarded with an affectionate purr, a continuous rumble that creaked out from Catra automatically. Catra leaned into the touch. Her eyes squinted slightly, blissed out.

  
Adora looked at her, her best friend since forever: A girl who had all the odds against her and yet still fought tooth and nail to get what she wanted. A girl that was stronger than anyone else she knew and had gone through ten times as much as the next guy. A girl who had had her back since she was old enough to have coherent memories. A girl that was loyal with a burning passion, who would stay by her side until the end of the universe, Etheria collapsing around her. A girl who had loved her just for being Adora plenty of years before either of them even knew what the hell a She-Ra was.

  
And here they were, where they were meant to be all along. Sure, the road was a bit rocky and filled with more bad blood, attempted murder situations, and near instances of universal destruction than she would have preferred, but they were here. Together. Together until the end, just like they always planned.

  
Catra had come a long way. She really had saved the universe. Adora’s fear of losing her after Catra’s sacrifice had woken up She-Ra when they were in Prime’s ship. Catra had surrendered her life, relinquished autonomy of her body and mind into the vile hands of Horde Prime in order to save Adora, without the prospect of ever seeing or being reconciled to her again. She had nothing to gain but chose to lose everything for her.

  
And then she did it again in the Heart of Etheria. Catra could have saved herself and bolted when Adora told her to, but she remained with Adora despite the very real risk of dying, just to stay with her, refusing to leave again. When Adora’s resolve was expiring and she saw her dreams - her dreams of a future with Catra and their friends - slipping away, Catra was there to ground her, to call her back to life. Catra put her heart on the line and exposed a vulnerability she had tried to hide her whole life, in attempt to save Adora. She had told her she loved her, with the world crumbling around them.

  
A powerful current of affection for her swept through Adora, and it must have leaked through into her expression, a loving intensity in her eyes, because suddenly Catra was blushing under her stare.

  
“What? What are you looking at?”

  
“My girlfriend, of course.”

  
“Oh... me too,” stuttered a red and smiling Catra, ever the wordsmith at times like this.

  
If it was physically possible, Adora’s gaze got even fonder and she cracked a huge grin.

  
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Catra’s voice rose a little, as well as the red in her cheeks.

  
“Because I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from the song "sweettalk my heart" by Tove Lo. I mostly just wrote this for myself because I can’t get enough of these two and reading this kind of thing gives me my required dose of dopamine but I decided to drop it here too because what the heck. thank you for reading, bless :)


End file.
